Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she had made of trends in the number of animals who died or were euthanised following non-compliance incidents as reported in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Report 2024.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Any incident of non‑compliance with the ASPA, including those where animals died or were euthanised following non-compliance, is taken seriously and investigated in line with ASRU’s published compliance framework The framework explains how potential breaches are assessed and how proportionate, evidence based regulatory actions are determined (www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing-and-research-compliance-with-aspa).
All licensed establishments must uphold the standards for animal protections as set out in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) and the associated Code of Practice
ASRU assesses trends and underlying causes of non-compliance as part of its Annual Report. This analysis informs ASRU’s actions that are designed to strengthen compliance, address identified risks and support continuous improvement in animal protections.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the following key workers will remain eligible for indefinite leave to remain after five years under changes to the migration rules, (a) NHS physiotherapists, (b) NHS therapy support workers, (c) physiotherapists employed by non NHS organisations contracted to provide NHS services, (d) therapy support workers employed by non NHS organisations contracted to provide NHS services, (e) physiotherapists employed by hospices, (f) therapy support workers employed by hospices, (g) Ministry of Defence physiotherapists, (h) rehabilitation support workers employed by the Ministry of Defence, (i) physiotherapists employed by other healthcare providers, (j) physiotherapists employed in social care, (k) physiotherapists employed by local authorities, (l) therapy support workers employed by other healthcare providers, (m) academic or research physiotherapists working in higher education, and (n) self employed physiotherapists.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The consultation for the earned settlement model, as proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, was open to the public between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026. Contributions will now be analysed, and the findings will support the development of the final model.
Economic and equality impact assessments will be conducted on the final model and published in due course.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the146 cases of non-compliance in British laboratories described in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Report 2024, involving a total of 22,204 animals.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
All establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act1986 are required to meet standards of animal protections as set out in the Act and in the associated Code of Practice. The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) conducts a programme of regular audits to assure compliance and takes any instance of non-compliance extremely seriously.
ASRU’s annual report for 2024 shows a reduction in the instances of non-compliance from 169 cases in 2023 to 146 in 2024. While 22,204 animals were involved in these incidents, only a small proportion -189 animals - were found to have experienced adverse outcomes, a significant reduction from 553 in 2023. The species most affected were fish (99) and mice (58).
ASRU’s published Compliance Policy (www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing- and-research-compliance-with-aspa) sets out how the regulator identifies, investigates and responds to potential incidents of non-compliance, and how it applies proportionate measures and sanctions where breaches are found. These actions are designed to drive sustained improvements in compliance, strengthen governance and ensure the principles of the replacement, reduction and refinement (the 3Rs) are fully embedded.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what considerations has she made regarding the adequacy of the classification of ketamine as a Class A illicit substance.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Ketamine is a dangerous substance, which can cause irreversible bladder damage and in some cases death. We are concerned about the harms ketamine causes and the rise in ketamine use, particularly among young people. In October 2025 the Department for Health and Social Care launched a campaign to alert young people to the dangers of this drug.
Home Office Ministers have had discussions about these harms, including with families who have tragically lost relatives as a result of taking ketamine and who have shared their own perspectives on the appropriate classification of ketamine within the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (‘the MDA’).
In January 2025 the Government asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to provide an updated harms assessment of ketamine, advice on reducing those harms, and advice on whether ketamine should be moved from Class B to Class A within the MDA. The ACMD carried out a public call for evidence in August 2025, and we expect to receive its report soon. We will then carefully consider its recommendations.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions about the reclassification of ketamine.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Ketamine is a dangerous substance, which can cause irreversible bladder damage and in some cases death. We are concerned about the harms ketamine causes and the rise in ketamine use, particularly among young people. In October 2025 the Department for Health and Social Care launched a campaign to alert young people to the dangers of this drug.
Home Office Ministers have had discussions about these harms, including with families who have tragically lost relatives as a result of taking ketamine and who have shared their own perspectives on the appropriate classification of ketamine within the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (‘the MDA’).
In January 2025 the Government asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to provide an updated harms assessment of ketamine, advice on reducing those harms, and advice on whether ketamine should be moved from Class B to Class A within the MDA. The ACMD carried out a public call for evidence in August 2025, and we expect to receive its report soon. We will then carefully consider its recommendations.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the level of the impact of digital ID on the number of undocumented workers in the grey economy.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Due to the hidden nature of illegal working, there is no reliable estimate on the scale of the issue.
The Digital ID programme is part of a broader strategy to tackle illegal immigration. By making it harder for people without the right to work to gain employment, the government plans to reduce incentives for unlawful entry.
The digital ID will build on the existing digital right to work checks for foreign nationals where eVisa share codes are currently used, further streamlining the process. Digital IDs will:
o Make it easier for employers to comply by standardising and simplifying right to work checks
o Make it easier for British citizens to demonstrate a right to work.
o Remove the reliance on physical documents in the UK, making it harder for forged documents to be used as proof of right to work.
The Cabinet Office will launch a public consultation in the coming weeks and has already started engaging key groups.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether protections against assaults for retail workers in the Crime and Policing Bill will apply to public transport workers involved in the retail of (a) refreshments and (b) rail products and tickets.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Assaults against retail workers will be covered by a new offence which we are introducing via the Crime and Policing Bill. Our definition of retail worker captures someone working in or about retail premises for or on behalf of the owner or occupier of the retail premises.
Our definition is intentionally narrow, and does not include hospitality or transport staff, given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Any ambiguity in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker, will likely lead the courts to take the case forward as common assault meaning specific recording attributed to a retail worker would not occur.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on trends in the number of (a) hate crimes and (b) instances of racism in communities that have not (i) taken flags down and (ii) removed graffiti.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes official statistics on hate crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. The latest release, including information on trends, can be found here: Hate crime, England and Wales, year ending March 2024 - GOV.UK
The Home Office does not hold information on whether flags or graffiti were present or removed from the communities the offences took place in.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with the Foreign Secretary on taking steps to help support Palestinians to access locations to verify their biometric data for UK visa applications.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are currently two UK Visa Application Centres operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in Ramallah and Jerusalem. The centres in Ramallah and Jerusalem are open twice per week and once every two weeks respectively for biometrics enrolment. The UK Visa Application Centre in Gaza has been closed since 7 October 2023 due to the conflict in the region and to ensure the safety of staff and customers. UKVI will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with the supplier, VFS, to re-open this centre when it becomes safe to do so. There are also Visa Application Centres in neighbouring countries, such as Egypt and Jordan, which are open daily if customers are able to travel to these locations.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking to steps to help support children in Gaza with family members in the UK to come to the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is keeping all existing visa pathways under review in response to events in Gaza. Palestinians who wish to settle in the UK can do so via the existing routes available. Further information can be found on the GOV.UK website: Visas and immigration - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).